smitten with apples

There is nothing like a tart, crisp apple. I love apples and autumn and all the comforts that come along with it: hot apple cider, apple pies and those rare days of crisp autumn weather. Thankfully, this past weekend was all about the blue skies, sunshine and that crisp autumm air...and it was also the UBC Apple Festival! I've written about my apple extravaganza weekend for the Food Network blog (which should appear next week or so), but needless to say an apple festival is a pretty wonderful thing. Besides a whole lot of apple tasting and a bit of candy apple eating, I also came home with some BC-grown goodness: one bag of Jonamacs and one bag of organic Newtown Pippins. While the pippins are pretty good eating as is, I'm not too fond of the Jonamac's not-so-crisp texture. In my eyes, it's an apple destined for something more.

Yesterday I was in a baking mood. I was leaning towards a crumble or a cake, but as it was still morning, I figured something more wholesome and breakfast-friendly would be more suitable.


This quick bread is really easy to make even when you haven't filled your coffee quota for the day. I shared a slice with Cornelius shortly after it came out of the oven and I wasn't swayed...the bread was very apple-y, very dense and a bit too moist for my liking. So once it fully cooled (and after Cornelius grabbed a second slice of his very own), I put it in the fridge and promptly forgot about it. Until this morning, that is. After I poured myself a cup of coffee, I started rooting around the fridge for breakfast and stumbled upon yesterday's baking experiment. I gave it another shot and was glad that I did. Yes, it's still very dense and apple-y, but it really works for breakfast. It's hearty and filling and has a very lovely chai flavour that compliments that apple goodness. It may not be something you want to share with company, but who wants to share anyway.

chai-spiced apple oatmeal bread
1 c oats (not instant)
1 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cardamom
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/3 c canola oil
1/3 c skim milk
1/3 c honey
1 egg
2 jonamac apples, diced (or sub in another tart apple)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, honey, oil and egg until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Fold in the diced apples.

2. Dump the batter into a well-greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top gets golden and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool.